Fred sponsoring the Derby.

3 year deal,the first time from a bookmaker, can only afford it due to all his pushes that keep losing.

Any truth that the Oaks will be called the max 25p e.w Oaks?

The worry is that so many of our best races are not attracting sponsors other than bookmakers.

Racing probably does not help itself by habitually referring to races by the names of sponsors who departed yonks ago, such as the Hennessy at Newbury, or by calling for whole series of sponsored races to be cancelled, as with the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham and its qualifiers around Britain and Ireland.

If the current sponsors of the Hennessy keep their sponsorship going for as long as Hennessy did, then people will adopt the new name. I'm finally coming round to remembering that the Betfair Hdle is the Schweppes, and the Bet365 Gold Cup is the Whitbread. Keep the same sponsorship for a few more years, and the name will change for good.

But the Hennessy is still the Hennessy, and ditto the Mackeson, because even if I did notice who sponsored them this year, no one will know what I was talking about if I used that name. By next November, who knows what the name of those races will be?

Badfred Derby - no sizeable antepost taken. Imagine this turn out to be the case.

Massey Ferguson there was another name to remember

Schweppes

Hennessy

Whitbread

Benson and hedges

Castrol Ayr gold cup

Etc etc

Then the bookies appeared….

Bookies as sponsors for races is bad for horseracing. They have an ulterior motive, and it's not horseracing conducive. Similarly, presenters living off bookies.

Agrreed..I can't work out how smarmy Ed is allowed to feature in Sky ads when he is presenting the f@ckin; show...I know of product placement but ffs!..

It's funny how these presenters are allowed on at prices. They must be aware this is only because of their association and the majority of us can't get on.